Blue Team defeats Oman and faces Nepal
The national basketball team secured its first victory, defeating its Omani counterpart 88-61 yesterday in the first round of the first window of the Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup. The tournament is being held in the United Arab Emirates until August 31 at the Al Ahli Youth Club arena in Dubai. The UAE also defeated Nepal 110-64. The “Blue Team” will play its third match against Nepal at 4:00 p.m. today, while the UAE will face Bahrain at 7:00 p.m. earlier today. The “Blue Team” had played its second match of the tournament late yesterday evening against the UAE.
The format of the first window of the qualifiers stipulates that three teams from each group will advance to the second window, scheduled to take place next November.
Led by their new Greek coach Vasilis Pratsiakos, the “Blue Team” delivered an outstanding performance, culminating in a well-deserved victory and marking the first step toward qualifying for the next round. The “Blue Team” ended the first quarter with a comfortable 26-12 lead. Although the Omani team improved in the second quarter, the “Blue Team” managed to finish the quarter 40-28. They maintained their dominance in the third quarter thanks to the movements of players Ahmed Al-Balushi, Abdulaziz Al-Humaidi, and Hamad Adnan, ending the quarter 61-41. The team tightened its grip in the final quarter and secured a clear 88-61 victory.
Speaking to KUNA after the match, “Blue Team” player Abdulaziz Al-Humaidi said the national team delivered a good performance against Oman, successfully imposing its style from the start of the game and maintaining its lead until the end. He added that the victory in the first match represents a positive start for the team in its qualification campaign and gives the players motivation to continue delivering strong performances in upcoming matches.
He emphasized that the players are looking forward to continuing their work and focusing on each match individually to achieve the best possible results in order to reach the next round and continue their journey toward qualifying for the 2029 Asian Cup.
